Maybe you just had a therapeutic cry sesh on your lunch break. Or you clicked on your sister's wedding video and the floodgates parted. Whether you've been crying happy tears or sad, if you're surrounded by co-workers, you want to cover up any splotchy, puffy evidence ASAP. For a little guidance, we went to the pros: Here are makeup artists' top tips for putting your face back together again (quickly!) after a meltdown.

Apply ice

"A cold compress is key," says Honey Artists makeup artist Azra Red. Wrap a few ice cubes in a damp cloth and hold it against your cheeks and eyes. Lying down should help reduce the swelling too. And if you've got time, stick on under-eye patches. Red recommends patches with chamomile or other calming ingredients, such as the Karuna Renewal+ Eye Mask ($36, sephora.com).

If you don't have in-case-of-emergency patches stowed in your bag, cold spoons on the lower lids can help, says Honey makeup artist Daniela Gozlan. (Stick some in the office freezer now so you're prepared for next time!)

Splash cool water on your skin

No access to ice? Get to the bathroom and splash cool water all over your face, says Kristine Cruz, a makeup artist at Antonio Prieto Salon in New York City. That should help bring down redness and inflammation. It might also help you perk up and switch mental tracks, so you can focus on whatever it is you need to handle next.

Brighten up

Next step: concealer. Dab it around your nose, which might be red and runny. If your eye area is red, use the concealer there too. But if your sclera (the white part of your eye) is red, refrain from put any concealer under your peepers. That will only draw more attention to the redness.

Wear a bold lip

To distract from the blotchiness under your eyes and elsewhere, choose a bold lipstick, says Gozlan. Though it may sound counterintuitive, your lips will become the focal point of your face—and your colleagues won't have a clue you were just crying your eyes out.